Medium processing apparatus

ABSTRACT

According to one embodiment, a medium processing apparatus includes a support axis and height-adjusting pins. The support axis movably supports a printer unit so that a front end of a conveying path is moved upward and downward. The height-adjusting pins are installed on a moving end of the printer unit. The height-adjusting pins are inserted to be guided into slit portions of brackets of a front panel by the sliding movement of any one of the front panel and the printer unit, thereby moving the printer unit around the axis and positioning the front end of the conveying path with respect to a medium inlet of the front panel.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-208794, filed on Sep. 10, 2009, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

Embodiments described herein relate generally to a medium processing apparatus, which can be applied to, for example, an automated teller machine (ATM) used for a bank.

BACKGROUND

As illustrated in FIG. 2, a type of medium processing apparatus includes a medium inlet 33 being provided at a front panel 32 of a main body 31, and a printer unit 35 being mounted on a slide table 34 in a main body 31.

When a medium, such as a passbook, is inserted through the medium inlet 33 of the front panel 32, the medium is conveyed along a conveying path 36 of the printer unit 35 and is printed thereon with some information at a printing section 37. Then, the printed passbook is reversely conveyed along the conveying path 36 to be discharged from the medium inlet 33 of the front panel 32.

However, there may be mismatch in the height between the medium inlet 33 of the front panel 32 and the front end of the conveying path 36 of the printer unit 35. Therefore, when the printer unit 35 is mounted, the front end of the conveying path 36 of printer unit 35 is required to be accurately positioned opposite the medium inlet 33 of front panel 32.

In this respect, the conveying path 36 is divided into front and rear sections and a support axis 40 along which a front-side conveying path 36 a is rotatably mounted and pivots, as indicated with an arrow in FIG. 2. Further, height-adjusting pins 41 are installed respectively on both sides of the front end of front-side conveying path 36 a. Furthermore, a pair of height-adjusting brackets 43 is arranged in the vicinity of the medium inlet 33 inside the front panel 32. The pair of height-adjusting brackets 43 is installed with being oppositely spaced by the width of the medium inlet 33. In the height adjusting brackets 43 are formed roughly V-shaped slit portions 43 a for guiding the height-adjusting pins 41.

When the front end of the conveying path 36 of the printer unit 35 is to be positioned with respect to the medium inlet 33 of the front panel 32, the slide table 34 is forced to slide towards the front panel 32 as indicated by an arrow in FIG. 2. With this sliding movement, the height-adjusting pins 41 of the front-side conveying path 36 a of the printer unit 35 are guided to be inserted into the slit portions 43 a of the brackets 43. This guiding of the front-side conveying path 93 a allows the front-side conveying path 36 a to pivot up and down around the support axis 40, as indicated with an arrow in FIG. 2, so that the front end of the conveying path 36 is positioned to be opposite the medium inlet 33 of the front panel 32.

However, in the configuration where the front end of the front-side conveying path 36 a is positioned with respect to the medium inlet 33 of the front panel 32 by moving the front-side conveying path 36 a, a gap 45 may be formed between the front-side conveying path 36 a and a conveying guide 44 of the back-side conveying path 36 b as shown in FIG. 3, which may attribute to a conveying jam.

Further, depending on the type of ATMs whenever the printer unit 35 is mounted, there are differences in the height between the medium inlet 33 of the front panel 32 and the slide table 34. In this case, the bending angle 46 may vary at a point where the front-side conveying path 36 a and the back-side conveying path 36 b are coupled. This makes it difficult to maintain the reliability of the printer unit 35.

Furthermore, it is also contemplated that the front end of the conveying path 36 is positioned with respect to the medium inlet 33 of the front panel 32 by moving the entire body of the printer unit 35 upwards and downwards.

However, in this case, the height of the printer unit 35 must be adjusted up and down while making sure that it is level. Thus, the heavy weight of the printer unit 35 causes the workload of the operator to be undesirably increased.

In light of the above problems, there is a need for a medium processing apparatus which can reduce the conveying jam and also facilitate the adjustment of the height of the printer unit while maintaining the reliability.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view illustrating the internal configuration of a medium processing apparatus according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view illustrating the internal configuration of a conventional medium processing apparatus.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view illustrating a section A in FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

According to one embodiment, a medium processing apparatus includes a main body, a printer unit, a support unit, and a height-adjusting member. The main body includes a medium inlet on a front panel and a guider inside the front panel, the guider is located in the vicinity of the medium inlet. The printer unit is located in the main body and prints on a medium being conveyed along a conveying path, and then discharges the medium from a front end of the conveying path to the medium inlet of the front panel. The support unit movably supports the printer unit so that the front end of the conveying path is moved up and down. The height-adjusting member is located at a moving end of the printer unit and is guided by the guider of the front panel through a sliding movement of any one of the front panel and the printer unit, so that the printer unit is moved around a support member of the printer unit and the front end of the conveying path is positioned opposite the medium inlet of the front panel.

Embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an automated teller machine (“ATM”) as a medium processing apparatus according to one embodiment.

The ATM is an apparatus for processing a medium such as a passbook, or a detailed statement. A medium inlet 1 b for receiving and discharging a medium may be installed in a front panel 1 a of a main body 1. A printer unit 1A may be mounted inside the main body 1. A fascia part 2 may be installed in the front end of printer unit 1A for both uses as an inlet/outlet for a passbook and an outlet for a statement paper. The fascia part 2 may include the front end of a conveying path 6 a, which will be described later.

In the rear side of the printer unit 1A, a paper loader 3 may be mounted to load a rolled thermal paper 4. One end of the thermal paper 4 may be fed out from the paper loader 3 to be conveyed along the conveying path 6 a by a thermal paper conveying unit 5. Along the conveying path 6 a, a thermal printer 7 and a cuter (not shown) may be sequentially arranged in the direction of conveying the thermal paper 4.

In the printer unit 1A, a passbook conveying unit 10 for conveying a passbook may be also installed along a conveying path 6 b. The conveying path 6 b may be connected to the conveying path 6 a for the thermal paper 4, so that the passbook conveying unit 10 also serves as a conveying unit for conveying the thermal paper 4 along the conveying path 6 b, which is discharged from the conveying path 6 a.

The passbook conveying unit 10 may include a plurality of pairs of conveying rollers 11 a to 11 e, entering rollers 12, and feeding rollers 15, which are arranged to be spaced by a predetermined interval along the conveying path 6 b. A dot printer 9 having a dot head 9 a as a serial head may be arranged in the conveying path 6 b for a passbook, the conveying path communicating with the fascia part 2.

In the above configuration, in case a passbook is to be printed on, the passbook may be inserted from the medium inlet 1 b of the front panel 1 a into the fascia part 2 of the printer unit 1A. Upon inserting the passbook, the pair of entering rollers 12, the pairs of conveying rollers 11 a to 11 e, and the pair of feeding rollers 15 may be rotated forward. When the passbook is conveyed to reach a dot printing position by the rotation of the rollers, the dot head 9 a may operate to print on the passbook. When the printing operation is completed, the pair of entering rollers 12, the pair of feeding rollers 15, and the pairs of conveying rollers 11 a to 11 e may be rotated in a reverse direction. With this reverse rotation, the passbook may be reversely conveyed to be discharged from the medium inlet 1 b of the front panel 1 a via the fascia part 2.

In case a statement paper is to be printed, the thermal paper 4 may be conveyed by the rotation of a platen roller to be printed thereon information by heating of a thermal head. After printing, the thermal paper 4 may be delivered by a pair of thermal-side feeding rollers 14 and pass through a cuter. When the thermal paper 4 is fed a certain distance, the thermal paper 4 may be cut to have a certain size to form a statement paper. The statement paper may be reversely conveyed along the conveying path 6 b by the reverse rotation of the pair of feeding rollers 15, pairs of conveying rollers 11 a to 11 e, and the pair of entering rollers 12, and then may be discharged from the medium inlet 1 b of the front panel 1 a via the fascia part 2.

However, there may be a mismatch in height between the medium inlet 1 b of the front panel 1 a and the front end of the conveying path 6 b of the printer unit 1A. Therefore, when the printer unit 1A is mounted, the front end of the conveying path 6 b of the printer unit 1A is required to be positioned opposite the medium inlet 1 b of the front panel 1 a by adjusting the height of the front end of the conveying path 6 b.

In the following description, a mechanism to position the front end of the conveying path 6 b of the printer unit 1A with respect to the medium inlet 1 b of the front panel 1 a will be described.

The printer unit 1A may be mounted on a slide table 22 with a support base 21 interposed therebetween. A support member including support axes 23 may be installed on both sides of the lower portion of the printer unit 1A, i.e. on the left and the right sides approximately at the center of the printer unit 1A. The support axes 23 may allow the printer unit 1A to be pivotably supported by the support base 21. The printer unit 1A may be entirely movable upward and downward along the support axes 23 in the direction as indicate by an arrow in FIG. 1. A pair of adjusting pins 24, which may function as a height-adjusting member, may be provided on both sides of the front end of the printer unit 1A.

Meanwhile, a pair of brackets 25 may be located in the vicinity of the medium inlet 1 b inside the front panel 1 a. The pair of brackets 25 as a guider may be installed while being oppositely spaced by the width of the medium inlet 1 b. The brackets 25 have roughly V-shaped slit portions 25 a, into which the adjusting pins 24 on both sides of the front end of the printer unit 1A are inserted.

In another embodiment, the front end of the conveying path 6 b of the printer unit 1A is positioned with respect to the medium inlet 1 b of the front panel 1 a.

In this embodiment, the slide table 22 may be forced to slide towards the front panel 1 in the direction as indicated by an arrow. With this sliding movement, the adjusting pins 24 of the front end of the printer unit 1A may be inserted and guided into the slit portions 25 a of the adjusting brackets 25 of the front panel 1 a. This may allow the printer unit 1A to move its front end upward and downward along the support axes 23, so that the fascia part 2 of the front end of the conveying path 6 b is positioned opposite the medium inlet 1 b of the front panel 1 a. After the positioning is completed as described above, the printer unit 1A may be fixed to the support base 21 by fixing screws 27 a and 27 b, thereby completing the operation of mounting the printer unit.

As set forth above, according to some embodiments, the fascia part 2 may be moved upward and downward to be positioned opposite the medium inlet 1 b of the front panel 1 a by moving the entire body of the printer unit 1A. Therefore, the occurrence of a conveying jam can be prevented without dividing the conveying path as configured in the conventional apparatus.

Further, since the conveying path of the printer unit 1A does not need to be bent when the printer unit 1A is mounted in an ATM, it is possible to maintain reliability.

Furthermore, since pivoting points of the printer unit 1A are located at the approximate longitudinal center on the right and the left sides of the printer unit 1A, the printer unit 1A can be easily pivoted even with a small amount of force irrespective of the weight of the printer unit 1A.

While the above embodiments describe that the fascia part 2 of the printer unit 1A is positioned opposite the medium inlet 1 b of the front panel 1 a by moving the slide table 22, the positioning may be performed by moving the front panel 1 a while the slide table 22 is fixed.

While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the inventions. Indeed, the novel embodiments described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and modifications in the form of the embodiments described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the inventions. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the inventions. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A medium processing apparatus comprising: a main body comprising a medium inlet on a front panel and a guider inside the front panel, the guider installed in the vicinity of the medium inlet; a printer unit located in the main body, the printer unit configured to print on a medium being conveyed along a conveying path, and discharge the medium from a front end of the conveying path to the medium inlet of the front panel; a support unit movably supporting the printer unit so that the front end of the conveying path is moved upward and downward; and a height-adjusting member located in a moving end of the printer unit, the height-adjusting member configured to be guided by the guider of the front panel through a sliding movement of any one of the front panel and the printer unit, the height-adjusting member moving the printer unit around a support member of the printer unit so that the front end of the conveying path is positioned opposite the medium inlet of the front panel.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the support member comprises a pair of support axes configured to pivotably support the printer unit on the right and the left sides at the approximate center of the printer unit.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the printer unit is mounted on a slide table with a support base interposed therebetween, and is supported by the support base with the support member introduced into the support base.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein when the slide table is forced to slide towards the front panel, the height-adjusting member is inserted and guided into the guider of the front panel.
 5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein after the front end of the conveying path is positioned with respect to the medium inlet of the front panel, the printer unit is fixed to the support base by a fixture.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the guider of the front panel comprises a roughly V-shaped slit portion, through which the height-adjusting member of the printer unit is inserted so as to position the printer unit.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the height-adjusting member of the printer unit comprises a pair of adjusting pins respectively provided on both sides of the front end of the printer unit, and the guider of the front panel comprises a pair of brackets installed to be oppositely spaced by the width of the medium inlet, wherein the pair of adjusting pins are inserted into the pair of brackets when any one of the front panel and the printer unit slides into the other.
 8. A medium processing apparatus comprising: a front panel comprising a medium inlet and a guider installed in the vicinity of the medium inlet; a printer unit comprising a conveying path configured to convey a printed medium; a pair of support axes located on both sides of the printer unit; and a height-adjusting member located in a front end of the printer unit, the height-adjusting member being configured to be guided by the guider of the front panel, by which the printer unit pivots along the pair of support axes so that a front end of the conveying path is positioned opposite the medium inlet of the front panel; and a support unit movably supporting the pair of support axes of the printer unit.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the pair of support axes are configured to pivotably support the printer unit on the right and the left sides at the approximate center of the printer unit.
 10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the printer unit is mounted on a slide table with a support base interposed therebetween, and is supported by the support base with the support member introduced into the support base.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein when the slide table is forced to slide towards the front panel, the height-adjusting member is inserted and guided into the guider of the front panel.
 12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein after the front end of the conveying path is positioned with respect to the medium inlet of the front panel, the printer unit is fixed to the support base by a fixture.
 13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the guider of the front panel comprises a roughly V-shaped slit portion, through which the height-adjusting member of the printer unit is inserted so as to position the printer unit.
 14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the height-adjusting member of the printer unit comprises a pair of adjusting pins respectively located on both sides of the front end of the printer unit, and the guider of the front panel comprises a pair of brackets oppositely spaced by the width of the medium inlet, wherein the pair of adjusting pins are inserted into the pair of brackets when any one of the front panel and the printer unit slides into the other.
 15. A method for installing a printer unit in a medium processing apparatus, the method comprising: sliding a printer unit toward a front panel to guide a height-adjusting member of the printer unit by a guider of the front panel, by which the printer unit pivots along a pair of support axes so that a front end of the conveying path is positioned opposite the medium inlet of the front panel.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the pair of support axes pivotably support the printer unit on the right and the left sides at the approximate center of the printer unit.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the act of sliding the printer unit toward the front panel comprises: mounting the printer unit on a slide table with a support base interposed therebetween, the printer being supported by the support base with the support axes introduced into the support base; and sliding the slide table towards the front panel so that the height-adjusting member is inserted and guided into the guider of the front panel.
 18. The method of claim 17, further comprising, fixing the printer unit to the support base by a fixture after the front end of the conveying path is positioned with respect to the medium inlet of the front panel.
 19. The method of claim 15, wherein the act of sliding the printer unit toward the front panel comprises inserting the height-adjusting member of the printer unit to a roughly V-shaped slit portion of the guider of the front panel so as to position the printer unit.
 20. The method of claim 15, wherein the act of sliding the printer unit toward the front panel comprises inserting a pair of adjusting pins respectively located on both sides of the front end of the printer unit into a pair of brackets of the guider of the front panel oppositely spaced by the width of the medium inlet. 